UNTIL SHILOH COME

Genesis 49:8 Iudah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the necke of thine enemies, thy fathers children shall bow downe before thee.
49:9 Iudah is a Lyons whelpe: from the pray my sonne thou art gone vp: he stouped downe, hee couched as a Lyon, and as an old Lyon: who shall rouse him vp?
49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Iudah, nor a Law-giuer from betweene his feete, UNTIL SHILOH COME: and vnto him shall the gathering of the people be:
49:11 Binding his foale vnto the vine, and his asses colt vnto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.
49:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milke.

Numbers 24:15 And hee tooke vp his parable, and said, Balaam the sonne of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open, hath said:
24:16 He hath said which heard the words of God, and knewe the knowledge of the most High, which sawe the vision of the Almightie, falling into a trance, but hauing his eyes open.
24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: There shall come a starre out of Iacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Two censuses was taken, 3 BC and 6 AD Herod the Great died in 1 BC though some try to say 4 BC which would mean he died BEFORE Jesus’ birth. We know Herod the Great was alive when Jesus was born and was alive 2 years after His birth because of the decree to kill all children 2 years old and under. Also, Joseph is told to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because Herod desired to kill Him. They left and while in Egypt Herod the Great died, his son sat in his place who was even worse than Herod the Great.

“The New Testament: When Did Herod the Great Die?

Such a correlation of Jonah’s ministry with the Bur-Sagale eclipse and other events in Assyrian history is speculative. In contrast, the usefulness of astronomy in determining the chronology of two important New Testament events is now on a firm footing. The first of these is the date of Herod’s death, for which the lunar eclipse on the night after the burning of Matthias and Judas plays a decisive role. For many years the prevailing opinion was that the eclipse mentioned by Josephus was the one that modern astronomical calculations date to the 13th of March, 4 BC. However, in 1880, F. Riess stated that Herod did not die in 4 BC, “but soon after the eclipse in 1 BC, because the other data, namely the numerous events that took place between the eclipse and the Passover, could not be squeezed into the four weeks available in 4 B.C.” (Filmer 1966: 284). There were only 29 days between the eclipse of March 13, 4 BC and Passover that year, insufficient for the many activities that Josephus relates happened during that time, whereas there were an adequate 89 days between the eclipse of January 10, 1 BC and Passover that year. In addition only about one-fourth of the moon was fully eclipsed in 4 BC, whereas in 1 BC the eclipse was total. W.E. Filmer, writing in 1966, also corrected the notion that Herod died in 4 BC by showing that this date arose because historians did not realize that Herod’s sons back-dated their reigns to 4 BC. Herod had assigned them to various posts at that time, although they did not begin their independent reigns until 1 BC when Herod died. Filmer’s ideas were accepted in Jack Finegan’s Handbook of Biblical Chronology (1998: 298-301), and have been expanded and defended by Andrew Steinmann (2009; 2011: 219-54). Steinmann also discusses new research on the Quirinius Census (Luke 2:1,2) that agrees with the 1 BC date for Herod’s death. These more recent studies are consistent with the writings of the majority of early Church Fathers, who dated Jesus’ birth, which necessarily was before the death of Herod, to sometime in either late 3 BC or early 2 BC. The many considerations that support Herod’s death occurring in early 1 BC are therefore in agreement with the dates of lunar eclipses and dates for the start of Passover in the years 5 to 1 BC., as calculated by modern astronomical methods.”

It was during 3 BC people made an oath the Caesar Augustus, there is evidence of this in the writings of Josephus as well as archeological evidence in Turkey. Also there was the signs in the Heavens that Revelation 12 describes and can be found on an astrological site that lets you go back in time and see what the connections of the stars and constellations were it is called, “Stellaris” if you go back to September 11, 3 BC you will see the exact thing which is written in Revelation. Remember Jesus told John that He was going to show him things which WAS past tense, things which are present tense, and things to come future tense meaning from that moment forward.

“According to some, the constellation Virgo may have been visible in the sky on September 11, 3 BC, the day Jesus was born:
Revelation 12:1
In the Bible, Revelation 12:1 describes a sign in the sky where “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet” appears. Some say this could be an overlap between the constellation Virgo and the sun, with the moon below them. Virgo is Latin for “virgin” and the sun is the star at the center of our solar system.
Creation Evidence Museum of Texas
According to the Creation Evidence Museum of Texas, Jesus was born in a stable on September 11, 3 BC, the Day of Trumpets. They also say that on September 14, 3 BC, Jupiter and Regulus began a circling “crown” effect that lasted for the early months of Jesus’ infancy.”

So why is all of this important and how does it connect with the scriptures I posted in the beginning? The scepter shall not depart from Iudah, nor a Law-giuer from betweene his feete, UNTIL SHILOH COME: and vnto him shall the gathering of the people be:

Shiloh is Jesus Christ THE ONE THAT SHOULD COME, THE MESSIAH, THE ANOINTED ONE!! At the birth of Christ Jesus a census was taken in order to see who all was under the rule and reign of Ceaser Augustus!!! Shiloh came and the scepter and a law-giver was removed. Fulfilling prophecy, also not these words spoken,

Matthew 11:2 Now when Iohn had heard in the prison the workes of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
11:3 And said vnto him, Art thou hee that should come? Or doe wee looke for another?
11:4 Iesus answered and saide vnto them, Go and shew Iohn againe those things which we doe heare and see:
11:5 The blind receiue their sight, and the lame walke, the lepers are cleansed, and the deafe heare, the dead are raised vp, and the poore haue the Gospel preached to them.

Isaiah 9:6 For vnto vs a child is borne, vnto vs a Sonne is giuen, and the gouernment shalbe vpon his shoulder: and his name shalbe called, Wonderfull, Counseller, The mightie God, The euerlasting Father, The Prince of peace.
9:7 Of the increase of his gouernment and peace there shall be no end, vpon the throne of Dauid & vpon his kingdome, to order it, and to stablish it with iudgement and with iustice, from henceforth euen for euer: the zeale of the Lord of hostes will performe this.
9:8 The Lord sent a word into Iacob, and it hath lighted vpon Israel.

Zechariah 9:9 Reioyce greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout O daughter of Ierusalem: beholde, thy King commeth vnto thee: hee is iust, and hauing saluation, lowly, and riding vpon an asse, and vpon a colt, the foale of an asse.

Luke 2:1 And it came to passe in those dayes, that there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (apographó: to copy, enroll
Original Word: ἀπογράφω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: apographó
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-og-raf’-o)
Definition: to copy, enroll
Usage: I enroll, inscribe in a register; mid: I give my name for registration (or census-taking).

2:2 (And this taxing was first made whe Cyrenius was gouernor of Syria)
2:3 And all went to bee taxed, euery one into his owne citie.
2:4 And Ioseph also wet vp fro Galilee, out of the citie of Nazareth, into Iudea, vnto the citie of Dauid, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house and linage of Dauid,)
2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
2:6 And so it was, that while they were there, the dayes were accomplished that she should be deliuered.

The following is an account of the second census after Jesus’ birth not at His birth!

Acts 5:34 Then stood there vp one in the Councill, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctour of Law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the Apostles forth a litle space,
5:35 And said vnto them, Yee men of Israel, take heed to your selues, what ye intend to doe as touching these men.
5:36 For before these dayes rose vp Theudas, boasting himselfe to be some body, to whom a number of men, about foure hundred, ioyned themselues: who was slaine, and all, as many as obeied him, were scattered, & brought to nought.
5:37 After this man rose vp Iudas of Galilee, in the dayes of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: hee also perished, and all, euen as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
5:38 And now I say vnto you, refraine from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsell or this worke be of men, it will come to nought.
5:39 But if it be of God, ye cannot ouerthrow it, lest haply yee be found euen to fight against God.

The following I found in a comment section that I thought was extremely important to this study concerning Jesus Christ birth. Along with the historical facts of when Israel, mainly Judah, lost their right to govern themselves and no longer could enact the death penalty.

“Point #1: Did Caesar Augustus ever issue a decree around this time?He did indeed. Multiple historians record it:Historians have not been able to find any empire-wide census or registration in the years 7–5 B.C., but there is a reference to such a registration of all the Roman people not long before 5 February 2 B.C. written by Caesar Augustus himself:“While I was administering my thirteenth consulship [2 B.C.] the senate and the equestrian order and the entire Roman people gave me the title Father of my Country” (Res Gestae 35, italics added). This award was given to Augustus on 5 February 2 B.C., therefore the registration of citizen approval must have taken place in 3 B.C.Orosius, in the fifth century, also said that Roman records of his time revealed that a census was indeed held when Augusts was made “the first of men” —an apt description of his award “Father of the Country” —at a time when all the great nations gave an oath of obedience to Augustus (6:22, 7:2). Orosius dated the census to 3 B.C.Josephus substantiates that an oath of obedience to Augustus was required in Judea not long before the death of Herod (Antiquities I7:4I-45). This agrees nicely in a chronological sense with what Luke records. But more than that, an inscription found in Paphlagonia (eastern Turkey), also dated to 3 B.C., mentions an “oath sworn by all the people in the land at the altars of Augustus in the temples of Augustus in the various districts.” And dovetailing precisely with this inscription, the early (fifth century) Armenian historian, Moses of Khoren, said the census that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem was conducted by Roman agents in Armenia where they set up “the image of Augustus Caesar in every temple.” The similarity of this language is strikingly akin to the wording on the Paphlagonian inscription describing the oath taken in 3 B.C. These indications can allow us to reasonably conclude that the oath (of Josephus, the Paphlagonian inscription, and Orosius) and the census (mentioned by Luke, Orosius, and Moses of Khoren) were one and the same. All of these things happened in 3 B.C.” [Ernest Martin, Chrons Kristos Cairos: 89-90]Thus we have our first criterion met.Caesar Augustus did indeed issue a decree in 3 B.C. that all the world should be registered.

So far, Luke is spot-on.

Point #2: Did Quirinius hold a high office in Syria at this time, such that he could be referred to as hēgemoneuontos of Syria?

He did indeed.

The historians Tacitus and Strabo record that Quirinius led a campaign against the Homonadenses from 12 to 1 B.C. This tribe lived in the Taurus Mountains in Asia Minor, which was then a part of Syria. Quirinius led this campaign as a legate sent by the Roman Senate, a diplomatic representative with military authority. This gave Quirinius political power on par with a local governor. (Strabo, Geography 12.6.5; Tacitus, Annals 3.48).

Luke assigns Quirinius the position of hēgemoneuontos, often translated “governor.” Yet the word refers simply to a high office denoting a local ruler. The word is not a precise identification of which office the person held, but rather that they ruled from a high position of power in general.

Thus, history places Quirinius exactly where Luke says he was: occupying one of the most powerful offices in Syria in the final years of Herod’s reign.

So far, Luke is 2 for 2.

Point #3: Did two registrations occur under Quirinius, such that one could be said to be “the first?”

Indeed they did.

Quirinius’ well-known census occurred in 6/7 A.D. It nearly led to the Jewish people revolting, as they held that a census ran contrary to God’s commands.

A few years after the census concluded, Quirinius’ tenure as legate of Syria ended.

Where, then, is the first census?

Right in 3–2 B.C., as point #1 demonstrates.

Some have speculated that the Greek word protos should not be translated “first,” but rather “before.” Thus, instead of Luke saying that this was the first census under Quirinius, it happened before the census of Quirinius.

It’s a neat idea, but it doesn’t matter much in the end. Either way, Luke is recording that the events leading Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem occurred before the 6/7 A.D. census.

Given that Quirinius was a hēgemoneuontos in Syria during the 3-2 B.C. registration, we know exactly when Luke was referring to.

Point#4: Did Rome ever take a census in subject kingdoms like Israel?

Despite the objections of many skeptics today, Rome did precisely this.

Tacitus tells us plainly:

[Augustus] ordered a document to be produced and read. This contained a description of the resources of the State, of the number of citizens and allies under arms, of the fleets, subject kingdoms, provinces, taxes, direct and indirect, necessary expenses and customary bounties. All these details Augustus had written with his own hand, and had added a counsel, that the empire should be confined to its present limits, either from fear or out of jealousy.” [Tacitus, Annals 1.11]

Further:

“Schürer did not think that Augustus would have a census taken in Palestine during Herod’s reign. Certainly Herod had enough autonomy as indicated by his being allowed to mint coins. However, the Romans did take a census in vassal kingdoms. In fact, in Venice a gravestone of a Roman officer was found which states that he was ordered by P. Sulpicius Quirinius to conduct a census of Apamea, a city of 117,000 inhabitants, located on the Orontes in Syria, which was an autonomous city-state that minted its own copper coins. In A.D. 36 under Tiberius a census was imposed on the client kingdom of Archelaus of Cappadocia. Again, the powerful Nabatean kings in Petra, who had the right to mint coins were, it seems, obliged to have the Roman financial officers in their domain.” [Hoehner, Harold W. (2010-06-29). Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Kindle Locations 105-124). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.]

If the clear evidence of history tells us that Rome indeed conducted censuses in their subject kingdoms, we have no reason to doubt it.

Point #5: Did Rome require people to return to their hometowns to be registered?

Indeed Rome did.

Critics attack Luke’s record constantly over this detail. Why would Rome require people to go to their ancestral hometowns? Why would Rome care whether a person was registered in Nazareth or Bethlehem? Critics claim that Rome would never require such a thing, so Luke must have been mistaken.

But archaeology is Luke’s greatest advocate.

Many documents relating to censuses and registrations have been uncovered. They shed light on the subject, like Papyrus 904:

Gaius Vibius Maximus, Praefect of Egypt, states: “The enrollment by household being held, it is necessary to notify all who, for any cause whatsoever, are outside their homes to return to their domestic hearths, that they may also accomplish the customary dispensation of enrollment and continue steadfastly in husbandry that belongs to them.”

Roman Census Edict in Egypt (Papyrus 904)

Rome commanded people to return to their “domestic hearths” for the purpose of registration.

Why?

A few reasons pop to mind:

It reduces the risk of counting people twice due to their movements.
It reduces the chances of people hiding from the census, as their family can testify to a person’s presence or absence.
It would be a nightmare of administration to try to figure out whether you’ve counted people twice in a land where people used common names constantly, and families used the same names generation after generation. Requiring people to return to their hometown reduces the complexity of the data recorded, making it easier to facilitate.
Point #6: Did Herod die after these events?

Indeed, this seems the most likely conclusion.

For a long time, history concluded that Herod died in 1 B.C. More recently, attempts have arisen to push Herod’s death earlier, to 4 B.C. But the evidence still favors 1 B.C. for the date of Herod’s death.

Josephus records that a lunar eclipse preceded Herod’s death, while Passover followed it. This gives us two clear bookends with which to locate the time of his passing.

There was a partial eclipse in March 13 of 4 B.C, occurring 29 days before Passover. Those who hold to the 4 B.C. date for Herod’s death hold this to be the eclipse Josephus mentioned, yet two problems swiftly arise:

The eclipse was barely visible in Israel. It was most visible in Africa.
Josephus records a wealth of activity occurring after the eclipse and before Herod’s death, which cannot fit in a mere 29 days.
Is there a better candidate for the eclipse?

Indeed there is.

In January 10 of 1 B.C., Israel observed a dramatic full eclipse. This means:

Everyone in Israel witnessed it, unlike the eclipse in 4 B.C.
It occurred early enough in the year for all of the events Josephus records to occur before Passover
Other details can be mentioned, but the heart of the matter is established clearly by these bookends, as we can verify them with precision.

Herod did indeed die in 1 B.C., allowing full time for a census to occur before his death in 3/2 B.C., Joseph and Mary to travel to Egypt with Jesus, and dwell there for a time before returning after Herod’s death.

Luke, therefore, is a fantastic historian. He recorded all six points with precision.”

Following scriptures show that the Jews no longer had the right to put anyone to death because in 3 BC at the arrival of Shiloh they lost that power.

John 18:28 Then led they Iesus from Caiaphas vnto the hall of Iudgement: And it was earely, and they themselues went not into the Iudgement hall, lest they should be defiled: but that they might eat the Passeouer.
18:29 Pilate then went out vnto them, and said, What accusation bring you against this man?
18:30 They answered, & said vnto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not haue deliuered him vp vnto thee.
18:31 Then saide Pilate vnto them, Take ye him, and iudge him according to your law. The Iewes therefore said vnto him, It is not lawfull for vs to put any man to death:
18:32 That the saying of Iesus might be fulfilled, which hee spake, signifying what death he should die.

John 19:10 Then saith Pilate vnto him, Speakest thou not vnto me? Knowest thou not, that I haue power to crucifie thee, and haue power to release thee?
19:11 Iesus answered, Thou couldest haue no power at all against me, except it were giuen thee from aboue: therfore he that deliuered me vnto thee, hath the greater sinne.
19:12 And from thencefore Pilate sought to release him: but the Iewes cried out, saying, If thou let this man goe, thou art not Cesars friend: whosoeuer maketh himselfe a king, speaketh against Cesar.
19:13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Iesus foorth, and sate downe in the iudgement seate, in a place that is called the pauement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.
19:14 And it was the preparation of the Passeouer, and about the sixt houre: and he saith vnto the Iewes, Beholde your King.
19:15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucifie him. Pilate saith vnto them, Shall I crucifie your King? The chiefe Priests answered, Wee haue no king but Cesar.

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is vpon me, because the Lord hath anointed me, to preach good tidings vnto the meeke, hee hath sent me to binde vp the broken hearted, to proclaime libertie to the captiues, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound:
61:2 To proclaime the acceptable yere of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourne:

Daniel 9:24 Seuentie weekes are determined vpon thy people, and vpon thy holy citie, to finish the transgression, and to make an ende of sinnes, and to make reconciliation for iniquitie, and to bring in euerlasting righteousnes, and to seale vp the vision and prophecie, and to anoynt the most Holy.
9:25 Know therefore and vnderstand, that from the going foorth of the commandement to restore and to build Ierusalem, vnto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seuen weekes; and threescore and two weekes, the street shall be built againe, and the wall, euen in troublous times.
9:26 And after threescore and two weekes, shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himselfe, and the people of the Prince that shall come, shall destroy the citie, and the Sanctuarie, and the ende thereof shall be with a flood, and vnto the ende of the warre desolations are determined.
9:27 And hee shall confirme the couenant with many for one weeke: and in the midst of the weeke he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the ouerspreading of abominations hee shall make it desolate, euen vntill the consummation, & that determined, shalbe powred vpon the desolate.

The Following is another article that I found that perfectly explains how Jesus Himself fulfilled Daniel 9:26-27

“The Prophecy of Daniel 9:27 – Christ or the Antichrist?
Posted on August 6, 2020 by rmd Posted in Zionism
For centuries, Daniel 9:27 was believed to be a prophecy about the New Covenant, the covenant that the Lord Jesus wrote in his body and blood. But that has changed in recent years through Dispensational and Christian Zionist teaching, which turns the traditional understanding upside down: it says Daniel 9:27 is about the covenant of the Antichrist.

Below is Daniel 9:26-27 in the 1537 Matthew Bible:

9: 26 After these .lxii. [62] weeks shall Christ be slain, and they shall have no pleasure in him. Then shall there come a people with the prince, and destroy the city and the Sanctuary: and his end shall come as the water flood. But the desolation shall continue till the end of the battle.

9:27 He shall make a strong bond with many for the space of a week, and when the week is half gone, he shall put down the slain and meat offering. And in the temple there shall be an abominable desolation, till it [has] destroyed all. And it is concluded, that this wasting shall continue unto the end.

Note, the “strong bond” in verse 27 is usually translated “covenant” in other Bible versions.

What do these verses mean? Drawing from Martin Luther, we find that it is quite simple.

Daniel 9:26
Daniel 9:26 is a prophecy that the Messiah would be slain: the Jews would have no pleasure in him, would reject him, and would murder him. Then, in judgement upon that dreadful murder, God would send a people to destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the temple). This judgement was executed in 70 A.D. when the Romans besieged and sacked the city. The “prince” who led the Romans in this destruction was the emperor Titus.[1] Jerusalem was crowded for the Jewish Passover at the time; the historian Tacitus numbered the people within the walls at over 600,000. Many thousands of Jews were crucified by the Romans, and it is said that the surrounding countryside was stripped of trees, which were used to make battering rams and crosses.

The last sentence of verse 26 says that, after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the desolation would continue to “the end of the battle.” I (Ruth) had always understood this battle to be the Lord’s battle, and that the desolation of Jerusalem would continue until he puts his enemies under his feet – that is, until the end of the world and the age. However, I checked Luther and discovered that he disagreed in part: he understood the battle in question to be Titus’s war on Jerusalem (I presume there is a slight difference in the translation). Otherwise, Luther agreed that after Titus’s battle “there shall remain the appointed desolation,” and Jerusalem and the temple would never be restored to their former position, but would remain abandoned by God.

How would the continuing desolation of Jerusalem appear? It would certainly be of a spiritual nature, due to the Lord’s abandonment. I believe it would also, at least to some extent, be political and geographic: the city would never more thrive, and would therefore stand as an enduring testimony of two things:

The Lord’s judgement for the murder of his Son. The magnitude of this deed should never be forgotten.
The putting down, or abolishment, of the Old Covenant, represented by Jerusalem and the temple. In particular, the temple would be destroyed until not one stone was left standing upon another (M’t. 24:2, Mark 13:2).
If I understand correctly, the temple will never be rebuilt – at least, certainly never on the same site. The last sentence of verse 27 confirms the prophecy that the “wasting” in the temple will continue until the end.

Daniel 9:27
What then of verse 27? This is the verse so badly misinterpreted today. As Luther explained, it was a prophecy of Christ and the New Covenant. In particular, it speaks about the period immediately before and after Christ was slain. It is he who makes the “strong bond” or covenant.

Luther explained that the “week” spoken of in Daniel 9:27 is the period of seven years when the gospel went forth in Israel, beginning with Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him. During the first three and a half years, after John the Baptist pronounced Jesus to be the Messiah, Christ himself preached – but only until he was slain “mid-week.” The following half-week referred to in verse 27 is a prophecy of the three and a half years of powerful apostolic preaching that occurred after Christ was slain. During this entire “week” of seven years, Luther explained, the preaching of the New Covenant went forth in its greatest purity and power.

It is widely recognized that the “slain and meat offerings” referred to in verse 27 are the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, but who is the “he” who will put them down? It is Christ himself. He put them down by his own death: his death ended the Mosaic sacrifices because he was the true spotless Lamb. Of course, practically speaking the sacrifices did not end until 70 A.D. and the destruction of the temple; however, after the death of Christ they ceased to have any purpose in the sight of God, because he who had been pre-figured by the sacrifices had now been offered up himself. The true Lamb, the true Dove – the only One whose blood could atone for man’s sin – had come, and he was the holy sin-offering.

The putting down the slain and meat offerings was, therefore, symbolically and spiritually accomplished by the Lord’s death, and visibly ended once and for all by Titus’s attack on Jerusalem. The Lord’s death also put down the Old (Mosaic) Covenant: the animal sacrifices were the heart of the Old Covenant, but the sacrifice of Christ is the heart of the New Covenant, which has abolished and done away with the Old (Heb. 8:13).

How Christian Zionism and modern Bibles reinterpret Daniel 9:27

However, dispensationalism and Christian Zionism (“CZ” for short) have manufactured an entirely new prophecy out of Daniel 9:27. They put past events – prophecies about Jerusalem and the temple that are already fulfilled – in the future. They say city and temple will be rebuilt and then destroyed in the future. They say that the sacrifices the Lord ended by his own death will begin again in a rebuilt temple. They say the evil Antichrist will make and break a covenant with Israel, and will himself put down the slain and meat offering in the future. Thus CZ makes the work of putting down the sacrifices to be Antichrist’s – and this as if it were a bad thing, and not the good accomplishment of Christ. The ultimate error of CZ is that it denies that the strong bond or covenant of verse 27 is the Lord’s own covenant with the Israel that belongs to him (Ga. 6:16); that is, the New Covenant that is with the body of all believers, both Jew and Gentile. Instead, CZ makes the covenant out to be Antichrist’s evil and duplicitous covenant with national Israel. This is what William Tyndale would call “turning the root of the tree upward.”

It is today an ardent hope and frequent prayer of many Christians that Jerusalem and the temple will be rebuilt; however, they do not realize that this is to hope and pray against the judgement of God. They even pray for animal sacrifices to resume, effectively denying the Lord’s own death (though they do not realize it). Revisions to Daniel 9:26-27 after the Reformation, especially in modern Bibles, have contributed to the error. The changes developed slowly over time, until in many modern Bibles it is impossible to derive the traditional understanding, or to see that the covenant of 9:27 could be Christ’s covenant. For example, the Living Bible has the following:

Daniel 9:27, LB This king will make a seven-year treaty with the people, but after half that time, he will break his pledge and stop the Jews from all their sacrifices and their offerings; then, as a climax to all his terrible deeds, the Enemy shall utterly defile the sanctuary of God. But in God’s time and plan, his judgment will be poured out upon this Evil One.

Thus in the Living Bible, Christ who put down the slain and meat offerings by his own death has become an “Evil One” whom God will judge. This is Antichrist’s own deception – a terrible error, and a terrible change to the English Bible. The Contemporary English Version makes verse 27 to be about a “foreigner” who destroys:

Daniel 9:27, CEV For one week this foreigner will make a firm agreement with many people, and halfway through this week, he will end all sacrifices and offerings. Then the “Horrible Thing” that causes destruction will be put there. And it will stay there until the time God has decided to destroy this one who destroys.

To compare, here again is the original translation from the Matthew Bible:

Daniel 9:27, MB He shall make a strong bond with many for the space of a week, and when the week is half gone, he shall put down the slain and meat offering. And in the temple there shall be an abominable desolation, till it [has] destroyed all. And it is concluded, that this wasting shall continue unto the end.

The abominable desolation was the destruction of the temple by Titus. There was further destruction by Muslim invaders, who built the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine, on the site of the old temple, where it sits to this day.

In closing, I wish to comment that I bear no ill will toward the Jews. The Scriptures are clear that we are not to be high-minded, nor to despise them, for the judgements of God are deep and secret (Ro. 11:1). All the things that happened to them were for examples, as warnings to us, who are capable of no more and no less than they have done (1Co. 10:6-11). It is in this spirit that we must understand God’s judgement on Jerusalem and the temple.”

Ruth Magnusson Davis

[1] Martin Luther, “Christ Was Born a Jew,” Luther’s Works, Vol. 45, 227. There was never any question about the identity of Titus as the “prince” who destroyed the city and the temple until recent times. “Prince” is Early Modern English for “ruler.”

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